Court Orders INEC to Publish Adebutu’s Name Within 24 Hours

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reinstate and publish the name of Oladipupo Ladi Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State election within 24 hours.

Justice Peter Lifu gave the directive on Friday, November 13, 2026, while delivering judgment in a suit filed by the PDP and Adebutu against INEC over the exclusion of his name from the commission’s final list of candidates.

The court held that INEC lacked the authority to unilaterally remove a candidate validly nominated by a political party without a court order.

Justice Lifu also ruled that the electoral commission breached Adebutu’s right to a fair hearing, declaring its decision to exclude him unconstitutional, unlawful and of no effect.

The judge further maintained that the power to determine the validity of a candidate rested with the Federal High Court or a state High Court, rather than INEC acting independently.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2573/2026, was instituted on October 22 after INEC omitted Adebutu’s name from its final list of candidates for the Ogun governorship election scheduled for February 6, 2027.

The PDP and Adebutu had challenged the commission’s decision, arguing that it violated provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and denied the candidate a fair hearing.

During the proceedings, INEC maintained that Adebutu’s name was missing from the membership register submitted by the PDP, insisting that its records contained only the name of the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Kolapo Lateefat Oyeyemi.

However, the PDP’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, told the court that Adebutu’s name was included in the flash drive containing the party’s list of candidates submitted to the commission.

Bature also disputed the flash drive presented by INEC, insisting that the device submitted by the PDP was silver in colour.

After considering the arguments and evidence presented by both parties, Justice Lifu ruled in favour of Adebutu and directed INEC to restore and publish his name within 24 hours.

The judgment marks a significant development in the political contest ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, potentially clearing a major legal hurdle for the PDP candidate.